Wednesday newspaper round-up: Migration, women in tech, mini-nukes
By Michele Maatouk
Date: Wednesday 04 Feb 2026
(Sharecast News) - The UK economy would be 3.6% smaller by 2040 if net migration fell to zero, forcing the government to raise taxes to combat a much bigger budget deficit, a thinktank has predicted. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said falling birthrates in the UK and a sharp decrease in net migration last year had led it to consider what would happen if this trend continued to the end of the decade. - Guardian
Women working in tech and financial services are at greater risk of losing their jobs to increased use of AI and automation than their male peers, according to a report that found experienced females were also being sidelined as a result of "rigid hiring processes". "Mid-career" women - with at least five years' experience - are being overlooked for digital roles in the tech and financial and professional services sectors, where they are traditionally underrepresented, according to the report by the City of London Corporation. - Guardian
Mini-nukes backed by the likes of Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos could be built in Britain for the first time after ministers paved the way for privately funded power plants. On Wednesday, the Energy Department, overseen by Ed Miliband, confirmed the launch of an "advanced nuclear pipeline" to help private sector projects get off the ground. - Telegraph
The Barclay family's sale of a house in Switzerland has triggered fears that they could put money beyond the reach of bankers chasing debts of £140m. On Tuesday, HSBC told the High Court it was concerned that brothers Aidan and Howard Barclay were "playing for time" in bankruptcy proceedings and could use a delay to "dissipate" their assets. - Telegraph
An internal investigation by Crispin Odey's now-defunct hedge fund uncovered at least 46 allegations of "inappropriate conduct" against him with female employees over a period spanning 17 years, a court has been told. His alleged behaviour ranged from an allegation of sexual assault in 2005 to a claim he brought a recently purchased skirt into his firm "and required a receptionist to try it on and show it to him, ostensibly to see if it would fit his daughter", according to a court filing by the Financial Conduct Authority, which is locked in a legal battle with the man who is one of Britain's best-known investors. - The Times
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